The original "
Ghetto Boys" consisted first of
Raheem , The Sire
Jukebox, and Sir Rap-A-Lot. When
Raheem and Sir Rap-A-Lot left, the
group added DJ Ready Red, Prince Johnny C, and Little Billy (the
dancer who later came to be known as
Bushwick BillBushwick Bill ). The first single
the group released was "Car Freak" in 1986, which then followed with
two LPs "You Ain't Nothin'/I Run This" in 1987, and "Be Down" in 1988.
The group released their debut album in 1988 entitled, Making Trouble
. With the release receiving very little attention, the group broke up
shortly thereafter and a new line-up was put together with the
inclusion of Scarface and Willie D, both aspiring solo artists. This
new line-up recorded the 1989 album,
Grip It! On That Other LevelGrip It! On That Other Level .
The group's 1990 self-titled album, The
Geto BoysGeto Boys , caused Def
American Recordings , the label to which the group was signed at the
time, to switch distributors from
Geffen Records to Warner Bros.
Records (with marketing for the album done by WB sister label Giant
Records ) because of controversy over the lyrics.

In the early 1990s, several American politicians attacked rap artists
associated with the subgenre gangsta rap , including the Geto Boys. A
high-profile incident in which
Bushwick BillBushwick Bill lost an eye in a shooting
helped boost sales of the group's 1991 album, We Can\'t Be Stopped .
The album cover features a graphic picture of the injured Bushwick
being carted through a hospital by Scarface and Willie D. On the
album's title track, the group responded to
Geffen Records ending its
distribution deal with Def American. The album featured the single,
"
Mind Playing Tricks on MeMind Playing Tricks on Me ", which became a big hit in the hip-hop
community and charted at No. 23 on the
Billboard Hot 100Billboard Hot 100 . Rapper
Scarface

After
Willie D left the group, Scarface and
Bushwick BillBushwick Bill continued
with the
Geto BoysGeto Boys with the addition of Big Mike who made his debut
appearance with the group on 1993's album, Till Death Do Us Part .
Although Till Death Do Us Part was certified gold, it was not as well
received by fans. However, the album did spawn one top 40 hit in "Six
Feet Deep" which peaked at #40 on the Billboard Hot 100. Subsequently,
Big Mike was dropped and
Willie D returned for 1996's critically
acclaimed The Resurrection , and the 1998 followup Da Good Da Bad & Da
Ugly , of which
Bushwick BillBushwick Bill was not a part. After three years on
hiatus, the group reunited in 2002 to record its seventh album, The
Foundation , which was released on January 25, 2005. The Geto Boys
were featured on Scarface's
My Homies Part 2 album.

The Geto Boys' popularity was boosted somewhat in 1999 by the
prominent use of two songs—"Damn It Feels Good to Be a Gangsta"
(released as a promotional single for the 1992 compilation album Uncut
Dope ) and "Still" (from The Resurrection)—in
Mike Judge 's comedy
satire film
Office Space . The song "Mind of a Lunatic" has been
covered by many recording acts including Marilyn Manson in 2003, as a
B-side off the album
The Golden Age of Grotesque . The single "Damn It
Feels Good to Be a Gangsta" has also been covered by the band Aqueduct
and country singer Carter Falco. Their song "Mind Playing Tricks on
Me" was featured in the video game
Grand Theft Auto VGrand Theft Auto V on the radio
station "West Coast Classics" despite the fact the group is not from
the West Coast .

The
Geto BoysGeto Boys are also heavily influenced by the social politics of
the day. Their lyrics have consistently included themes ranging from
police brutality (such as in "Crooked Officer") to concerns over the
negative impact of violence on the urban community (such as "The World
Is a Ghetto", "Geto Fantasy", and "Six Feet Deep").